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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Alone in the house, Triton falls asleep. When he is awakened by a sound, what does he think it is?
(a) Stray cat.
(b) Mr. Salgado returning.
(c) A robber.
(d) Wind knocking a window open.

2. The cashier says his Sri Lankan home is near what city?
(a) Kuruwita.
(b) Silavatturai.
(c) Maradankadawala.
(d) Colombo.

3. At the start of the story, what does the narrator notice about the cashier?
(a) The cashier looks frightened.
(b) The cashier is asleep.
(c) The cashier resembles him.
(d) The cashier looks drunk.

4. Why is the cashier impressed with the narrator?
(a) He attends Oxford.
(b) He used to be a marine biologist.
(c) He owns a restaurant.
(d) He is a vegetarian.

5. In what language does the narrator try to speak to the cashier?
(a) Swedish.
(b) Swahili.
(c) Spanish.
(d) Sinhala.

Short Answer Questions

1. The haberdasher who stops by Mr. Salgado's house on Thursdays is one of the what who stops by regularly?

2. What does Triton say when Mr. Salgado asks him if he has any schooling?

3. What do the police and neighbors discover at house number eight?

4. When it starts to rain, Triton hopes that Joseph ____.

5. How long is the gas station cashier on the job?

Short Essay Questions

1. When he is a boy, why does Triton regard Mr. Salgado's house as the "center of the universe"?

2. What are young Triton's main duties at Mr. Salgado's house?

3. Through which character does the author choose to reveal the changing sociopolitical landscape of Sri Lanka across many decades?

4. Where does this story begin?

5. At the start of the story, how does the narrator try to help the cashier?

6. Describe the relationship between Triton and Mr. Salgado.

7. What does Triton do right after he fills up the tank of his old Volkswagen?

8. Why does Triton often seek refuge in Lucy-amma's kitchen?

9. In "Part 1, Kolla", why is Triton left alone in Mr. Salgado's house?

10. What happens in 1962, when Triton's narration begins?

(see the answer keys)

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